The bracket features seven teams included in the most recent CalHiSports.com state rankings: Norco (No. 1), Los Alamitos (No. 2), Orange Lutheran (No. 4), Mission Viejo (No. 8), Mater Dei (No. 14), La Habra (No. 16) and Oaks Christian (No. 18). Throw in perennial powers Santiago, Pacifica, Chino Hills, Chino, Grand Terrace, Yucaipa, Valencia and Etiwanda — programs with section titles in the past decade — and you have the most brutal playoff bracket in the nation. Norco is looking to become the first team classified in the section’s highest playoff division to go undefeated since 1985 (Huntington Beach Ocean View). The Cougars have posted wins over seven squads in the final Division 1 rankings, including each of the other three seeds.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Santiago at Yucaipa — This game shows how tough the bracket is. Santiago finished second in the Big VIII League, and Yucaipa shared the Citrus Belt League championship … and they are meeting in the first round. Santiago’s only two losses over the final month were to Norco. The Sharks are 1 of 2 teams to hold a lead on Norco at the end of the inning (also Roosevelt). Yucaipa still has a handful of players from the 2015 team that was mythical national champs.

This bracket features four teams in CalHiSports.com’s state rankings: Gahr (No. 3), Rio Mesa (No. 13), Camarillo (No. 19) and Santa Margarita (No. 20). Gahr also a team seeking to cap a perfect season, but the Gladiators did suffer a major blow when star catcher Alyssa Kumiyama was lost for the season with a knee injury. Agoura is not among the four seeded teams, but the Chargers can’t be overlooked after playing one of the toughest schedules by a Division 2 team.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Redlands East Valley at La Quinta — La Quinta was bumped up this season from Division 4, but the Blackhawks enter the postseason with a 24-2 record. Redlands East Valley has had mixed results this season, but the Wildcats are used to playing in the higher playoff divisions.

Many believe this is one of the section’s most wide-open divisions. Newbury Park has played the toughest schedule of any of the division’s qualifying teams, which makes the top-seeded Panthers the early favorite. Murrieta Mesa was one of the area’s hottest teams at the start of the season, winning the Stu Penter Classic title and later battling Norco to a 1-0 loss at the Michelle Carew Classic. The Rams are in the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Murrieta Mesa at Temescal Canyon — Temescal Canyon went undefeated in Sunbelt League play this season, so a game against No. 4 Murrieta Mesa is a brutal first-round draw for the Titans.

Buena, led by ace Brooke Yanez, is ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 22 in the nation, so the Bulldogs are the odds-on-favorite to bring home the title. Savanna has championship game experience, but those back-to-back trips to the finals came in Division 6.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Beaumont at Aquinas — Beaumont equaled the Inland record for home runs in a single game (8) earlier this season, so No. 3 Aquinas has its hands full from the start. Aquinas freshman infielder Bobbi Ann Pratt is batting .734 with 58 RBI. This one could turn into a slugfest.

Torrance won a section title in 2015, and North Torrance was victorious last season. Will one of the city’s other schools hoist a softball championship this year? South and West give the city of Torrance two strong chances to win, but they will have to fend off tough challengers, including Mission League teams Alemany and Chaminade (don’t be fooled by the latter’s 8-15-1 record).

Best first-round game involving a local team

San Gorgonio at Vista del Lago — Vista del Lago seeks the program’s first playoff victory, and the Ravens have won 13 of their past 14 games. San Gorgonio placed third in the San Andreas League.

This is another division that appears wide open. Sierra Canyon is the rightful No. 1 seed, but the Trailblazers have a tough path ahead. Santa Paula had to start things off in the wild-card round, but the Cardinals cruised to an 11-1 victory Tuesday afternoon. Don’t count out Academy of Careers & Exploration, which has Texas-bound ace Chloe Romero in the circle. ACE has a difficult path, however, as they’ll likely see No. 2 seed Notre Dame in the second round.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Woodcrest Christian at St. Anthony — There’s going to be some amazing young talent on the field for this Division 6 opener, as four of FloSoftball.com’s Top 33 ranked freshman are on these teams. St. Anthony features Zaidi Puni (No. 2), Morgan Smith (No. 13) and Taire Jennings (No. 17), and Woodcrest Christian has Ryleigh Carricaburu (No. 33).

The teams that have dominated this bracket in recent years were elevated into higher divisions under the section’s competitive equity format. Village Christian definitely has the best resume of teams in the division, including a win over West Ranch, which played in the 2015 Division 1 final. The big wildcard team is Carnegie. The Wolverines didn’t have a chance to put together a taxing schedule, but they steamrolled the competition (372-26 over 18 games). Carnegie is coached by John Perez, who guided Santiago to five section titles during his 20-year run with that program. Village Christian and Carnegie would meet in the quarterfinals.

Best first-round game involving a local team

Public Safety Academy at Santa Rosa Academy — Santa Rosa Academy reached the quarters in this division last season, and although Kelci Hill is now playing at Murrieta Mesa, the Rangers still returned several starters from that squad.

Eric-Paul Johnson has been covering high school sports for The Press-Enterprise since 1999, specializing in football, girls volleyball, girls water polo and softball. He is a stat junkie who created and maintains a record book for high school sports in the Inland Empire. Eric-Paul is a lifelong resident of Riverside and graduated from Bethel Christian and Cal Baptist. Eric-Paul enjoys going to concerts and twice has worked as a photographer at the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival.